Private Teaching: I spell you guess

I use this method to drill spelling and vocabulary words we come across in reading passages. After I have explained the meanings of selected words to the student, I throw out a box of alphabet cards I always keep handy. First I will tell the student the meaning or a synonym of one of the words he has to learn, and then I start building the word with the letter cards. He has to try and guess which word I'm spelling before I finish building it, and for every letter I do not need to complete the word before the student guesses it, he scores one point. If the word is "immediately" and he guesses correctly by the second m, he scores 8 points. Then he has a chance to score another 5 points if he can write a sentence using the word correctly. At the beginning of the game I usually set a goal, say in 10 minutes' time he must try to get 60 points, and if he succeeds, he wins a prize. My kids love it, and they always eye the letter box to see if it is taken out for a game after we've read a passage!